Miami Defeat Ball State 77-63, Finish Record-Setting Season on a High
By: Jack Mueller
Photos Courtesy of: Hope Maley / Miami Athletics
The Miami RedHawks capped off the MAC regular season in style, defeating Ball State 79-66 at Millett Hall in front of a sold-out crowd. Travis Steele’s team finished the regular season 23-8, and ended the season on a 15-game win streak at Millett Hall.
The RedHawks only have one senior on their roster, Dan Luers, but they made sure to celebrate him. Miami’s oldest player scored 18, and started the game by scoring his team’s first seven of the game. Despite only appearing in 12 games this season, Luers’ impact goes far beyond his on-court production.
“He’s almost like a coach,” said Steele. “He sets the tone for us in a lot of ways on a daily basis and our young guys know that.”
“They play like they’re seniors,” said Luers. “Anything they need, I can help them out.”
Luers’ 18 wasn’t good enough to lead the team though. That accolade once again went to sophomore guard Kam Craft. The former Xavier wing was quiet against Buffalo (6 pts, 2-7 FG), but rebounded in a big way on Friday. Craft poured in 19 points, including five threes. That represents his most points in a game since he dropped 40 against Toledo.
For Ball State, Jermahri Hill was the focal point of the offense. The junior guard registered 18 points and three steals in the losing effort. Indiana transfer Payton Sparks (12.8 PPG) put up 20 the first meeting between the teams, but was held to just eight on this occasion.
The one blemish on an otherwise perfect night for Miami came early in the first half. The RedHawks’ leading scorer, Peter Suder (13.7 PPG), left the game with an injury. He returned to the bench after a short stint with the trainer, but did not check back into the game. The team said that his absence was “precautionary.”
“Peter’s fine, we just try to be cautious” said Steele “Dan was playing so darn well I told Peter to watch out.”
How it Happened
Hollywood couldn’t have written a better start for Miami. Luers scored Miami’s first seven points, before Evan Ipsaro and Eian Elmer got on the scoresheet to make it 11-0 Miami. Ball State started the game 0-7, but finally got on the scoreboard via an Ethan Brittain-Watts three.
“My teammates were looking for me, they were telling me all week to let it fly.” said Luers
Buckets by Ipsaro and Luke Skaljac kept Miami’s advantage at ten, before Eian Elmer connected from three, making it 18-5. Freshman Brant Byers got in on the scoring for Miami, connecting fro beyond the arc and adding a free throw to extend the lead to 15. TJ Burch got two back for the Cardinals, but Luers’ jumpshot cancelled it out before Craft’s first three of the game made it 27-9.
Hill gave Ball State some momentum, converting an and-one, before Payton Sparks added two more in the paint. Luers responded with his second three, and Skaljac connected on a fadeaway to make it 32-14. Reece Potter got on the scoresheet with his first three of the game, and Luers added two more from the free-throw line to make it a 21-point lead.
Ball State responded with an 7-0 run courtesy of a Joey Hart three and Hill layup. Craft’s second make ended the run and re-established a 16-point lead. Luke Skaljac extended that lead to 18 with a midrange jumper at the buzzer.
Craft kept the momentum rolling to open the second period, connecting on consecutive threes to make it 47-23. Cooper made a three of his own, and Craft connected from past the arc again to extend the lead to 28 just three minutes into the half.
Jermahri Hill did his best to cut into the RedHawk lead, scoring the next seven Ball State points to make it 57-34. Mason Jones added two more for the Cardinals, but Elmer connected on a corner three to end the run for the visitors. Joey Hart scored five, but Elmer and Potter responded with buckets at the other end for Miami.
Luers continued to make an impact, sinking his third three of the game to make it 67-41. After Payton Sparks tipped in a putback, Ipsaro responded with a layup high off the glass to give him ten on the night. Mickey Pearson Jr. came back with a layup of his own for the Cardinals, but Craft’s fifth three of the night made it 77-51.
With the RedHawks leading 79-59, they emptied their bench, and gave Dan Luers a standing ovation as he left the Millett Hall court for the final time. Ball State managed to put together some momentum, but ran out of time, allowing the RedHawks to leave with the victory.
Up Next
Miami will head to Cleveland as the #2 seed in the MAC Tournament, with their first round game set to be played at approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday. While their first opponent remains a mystery until every conference game concludes, Steele is confident that his team is ready for the occasion.
“It’s been pretty well documented that we’re an explosive offense,” said Steele. “Our defense is pretty darn good too.”
“Your defense has to be good enough, your rebounding has to be good enough, you have to take care of the ball,” Steele added. “Our team is built for that, our depth is built for that.”
“We put our team together with a mind to go to Cleveland to win three games in three days.”
The RedHawks will have to do just that to win the conference tournament, which would be their first title since 2005. Should they pull it off, they will earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.